Mosquitoes

Far more lethal than sharks, wolves, bears, or any other fanged beast is the tiny mosquito, which holds the title of world’s deadliest animal. The World Health Organization estimates that “millions” of people die every year from mosquito-borne diseases. Thankfully, scientists have come up with a strategy to greatly reduce the mosquito population, but it requires sending tens or even hundreds of thousands of mosquitoes to different areas of the world, often through the mail. Read More >>

A mosquito-borne virus discovered over a half century ago has been found in humans for the first time ever, likely having caused a case of severe rash and fever in an American teenager in 2016. But despite the recent reveal, it’s likely the germ has been making people sick for quite some time. Read More >>

Animals fatally maul, sting, trample, and chew about a million humans per year. Pretty nice of them, given the numbers on our side—the average of 950 million birds we kill in the UK every year for our consumption, for instance. In an ideal world, no one would ever get mauled by a bear, or contract rabies from a feral squirrel. But for this week’s Giz Asks, we’re asking which creatures are most desperate for our blood (or, in fairness to the animal kingdom, which are most likely to kill us by accident). Read More >>

Attempts to kill a mosquito aren’t always met with success—these annoying bloodsuckers seem preternaturally good at evading hand swats. Surprising new research suggests mosquitos learn from these near-death experiences, staying clear of a particular odour they’ve learned to associate with the perpetrator. Read More >>

Diamondback moths may be a mere half-inch in length, but their voracious appetite for Brussels sprouts, kale and cauliflower make them a major pain for farmers. This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved a potential solution: moths genetically engineered to contain a special gene that makes them gradually die off. A field trial slated to take place in a small area of upstate New York will become the first wild release of an insect modified using genetic engineering in the US. Read More >>

Researchers at Vanderbilt University have found a secondary set of odour sensors on female malarial mosquitoes that appear to be specifically tuned to sniff out humans. While admittedly disturbing, the discovery could lead to new ways of combating malarial mosquitoes and the dreaded disease they carry. Read More >>

Get your jokes about already sharing a bed with a cock out of the way, because a serious bit of research from academics at Addis Ababa University has found that chickens have the power to protect you from mosquitoes. Read More >>

Mosquitos are little bastards that do more killing, spread more disease, and cause more annoyance than any other creature on Earth. That’s because they have a really sophisticated system for biting us to suck our blood. But exactly how they bite might surprise you. Read More >>

Mosquitoes love to breed inside discarded car tires. So why not use this against them? Such is the thinking of Canadian researchers who have developed a DIY mosquito trap that’s already proving its worth in field tests. Read More >>

A group of scientists wanted to find the most effective mosquito repellents. So they tested 10 different substances, including campout standbys like DEET, as well as a random choice: Victoria’s Secret perfume Bombshell. Turns out the perfume is almost as good as DEET. Read More >>

Google, soon-to-be Alphabet, is in the business of thinking up weird futures. Internet delivered by giant condom-looking balloons? Yep. Phones you can rip apart and piece back together? You betcha. Creating genetically modified mosquitoes to fight malaria? Of cour—wait, what? Read More >>

The worst thing about feeding hundreds of mosquitoes on your own blood is not the itching – if you do it enough times, your body gets used to the bites. It's not even the pain, although it is always painful since the mosquitoes will use their snouts to root about your flesh in search of a blood vessel. Read More >>